Cross talk between calcium and ROS regulate the UVA-induced melanin response in human melanocytes

Exposure to high doses of solar long wavelength ultraviolet radiation (UVA) damages human skin via reactive oxygen species (ROS). Whether physiological UVA doses also generate ROS that has an effect on the skin remains unknown. We previously showed that in human epidermal melanocytes UVA activates a G-protein coupled signaling pathway that leads to calcium mobilization and increased melanin. Here, we report that ROS generated by the UVA phototransduction pathway are critical cellular messengers required to augment melanin. Using simultaneous UVA exposure and live-cell imaging of primary human melanocytes, we found that physiological doses of UVA generate two spatiotemporally distinct sources of ROS: one upstream of the G-protein activation that potentiates calcium responses, and another source downstream of calcium, in the mitochondria (ROSmito). UVA-evoked signaling led to mitochondrial calcium uptake via mitochondrial calcium uniporter to promote ROS(mito)production leading to melanin synthesis. Our findings reveal a novel mechanism in which ROS function as signaling messengers necessary for melanin production, thus having a protective role in the UVA-induced skin response.